Lock & Key
by AZScorpions24
Summary: Alternate history where the Doctor ended the Time War by different means. Now the Daleks have found out how, and seek to undo his work. Takes place immediately after "The Name of the Doctor". Multiple crossovers.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own anything related to Doctor Who. Damn it.**

**Okay. I'd like to start by asking that anyone who comments on this not point out the fact that it's impossible. I came up with this idea before "The Day of the Doctor" aired, and I'm a rather lazy person, so getting around to actually writing it was something different altogether. It totally flies in the face of continuity, but I hope to make up for that by being entertaining.**

**On that note, a little background. This would take place immediately after "The Name of the Doctor". As far as plot summary…you know what? Read it and find out.**

**Spoiler alert: In future chapters, there will be crossovers. Oh yes, there will be crossovers.**

**Lock and Key**

**By Scott Jewett**

**Prologue**

Daleks always survive, somehow.

It was the one thing that the current commander of the Dalek Empire could cling to. After all, every single one of their grand plans for universal domination and destruction had failed, for one reason or another. Their species had been on the brink of extinction countless times, but they had always survived to rise again.

Unbeknownst to other species, Daleks do indulge themselves in emotion from time to time; privately, of course. The commander was clinging to the small shred of pride he felt in their survival (pushing down the warring emotions of his former race, trying desperately to reassert itself against the overwhelming hatred implanted in him during Dalek conversion) when the command platform of his time ship lit up with activity. His crew became as excited as Daleks could, rotating their upper sections in both directions, lights flashing.

_**"Neural signal detected! Slight Dalek compatibility! Boosting!"**_

_** "Source is…human! But with minimal Dalek neural overlay!"**_

_** "Explain." **_ The commander rolled toward his science officer.

_**"Human female, young, shows signs in neural pathways of Dalek programming. Identifying…Oswin Oswald."**_

_** "Impossible" **_ the commander snapped. _**"Dalek Oswin confirmed dead in destruction of prison planet."**_

_** "Identity confirmed as Oswin Oswald, commander" **_ was the reply. _**"Genetic scans are identical."**_

_** "EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN" **_ the commander said, becoming as agitated as a Dalek could under such circumstances.

_**"Unknown variables. Attempting to scan neural net" **_the officer replied.

_Meanwhile, aboard the TARDIS…_

Clara awoke with a start in the TARDIS infirmary. She looked around, finding herself on a floating table. Holographic screens over her were monitoring her vital signs. A smile came to her face as she saw the sleeping occupant of the chair next to her.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor snapped awake. "Clara! Oh, my Clara" he said, leaping to his feet, sonic screwdriver in hand. He scanned her as she smiled.

"Do you really have to scan me if the TARDIS is monitoring me?" 

"No," he replied, "but it looks cool and makes me feel better. Now," he said, settling into a more businesslike manner, "how do you feel? What do you remember?"

Clara frowned in concentration. "I feel fine, thank you…as for what I remember…" She trailed off, trying to recall what had happened when she'd jumped into the Doctor's timeline. "Not very much, I'm afraid. I recall being there the day you stole the TARDIS…can't believe you wanted to control your navigation, by the way…I remember being in Victorian London, climbing a staircase into the clouds…" She swallowed hard before continuing. "And I remember being Oswin." Clara shuddered, recalling with unfortunate clarity every single detail of "her" conversion into a Dalek.

The Doctor nodded. "I suppose that makes sense…those were the points where you affected my life most directly, after all. If I had to guess, I'd say the rest of those memories are buried deep in your subconscious. But," he added, glancing at his screwdriver's readout, "they don't seem to be affecting you harmfully, so I think they can all stay there."

_Aboard the Dalek ship…_

_**"Neural net accessed" the science officer said. "Unusual temporal activity. Scanning subconscious of Dalek Oswin." **_A holographic projection popped up in front of the Dalek commander. Every officer on the command platform turned to view it.

As Clara's subconscious memories of her most recent adventure were recalled, the Dalek commander's eyestalk widened in surprise. Clara's trip through the Doctor's timeline, through all of his travels and adventures, succeeded in restoring the Doctor in the Dalek memory banks. The commander watched and watched, cross-referencing each adventure with the history he'd had integrated into his neural net, becoming more and more shocked as each failure the Daleks had attributed to various other factors was replaced with the truth:

_**"It was the Doctor" he said.**_

_** "It was always the Doctor" **_the science officer spoke up. _**"He has defeated us time and again, throughout history, and we did not remember."**_

_** "EXPLAIN" **_ the commander said, the upper section of his battle armor rotating back and forth in fury. The science officer called up the memory of Oswin removing all memories of the Doctor from the Dalek neural net. There was silence for a few moments, as all the Daleks processed this new information.

_**"The Doctor must be exterminated. Strategize" **_ the commander finally ordered.

_**"Suggestion, Commander" **_the science officer said. Clara's memory of the end of the Last Great Time War was recalled. The Daleks watched as the War Doctor removed something from the Black Archive on Gallifrey. He assembled a small flat disk, roughly the size of a human dinner plate. There was a keyhole in the middle. The Doctor ran for his TARDIS, which he immediately flew into an adjoining galaxy. He then connected the disk to the TARDIS. A tear formed in the corner of his eye as he took the TARDIS key from around his neck, fitting it into the keyhole. He looked up at the viewscreen at Gallifrey, his homeworld, locked in its deadly battle with the Dalek Empire.

"Four point two seven billion" he whispered as he turned the key. Gallifrey and the Daleks vanished. The Dalek commander watching rolled back a foot or two.

_**"What happened? Explain. Explain!"**_

_** "Unknown, Commander" **_ the science officer said. _**"The Doctor was alone and did not explain his actions. Dalek Oswin was only observing."**_

__"Now, what to do…" remarked the voice that made the Dalek commander roll forward again.

"I don't want it…too much temptation. I don't need it here as a reminder. I'll have to hide it somewhere…aha!" The Doctor moved around the circular console of the TARDIS, punching buttons, flipping switches, and entering a series of coordinates the Daleks immediately made note of.

"This is going to be tricky…" the Doctor muttered as he jettisoned unnecessary parts of the TARDIS to conserve power. "It's going to be much harder to jump dimensions without the Time Lords…" He yanked on a lever…and the TARDIS vanished. The screen went dark.

_**"EXPLAIN" **_the commander said, sounding somehow even more angry than usual.

_**"Unknown. We cannot follow the Doctor across the multiverse."**_

The Dalek commander acted immediately. _**"Track down the TARDIS."**_

**A/N: And there's the prologue. Read and review!**


	2. The Chase is On

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of this, except for stuff you don't recognize.**

**I hope you enjoy the sort of "alternate history" I'm trying to work with here. And I really did have this idea before "Day of the Doctor". I'm just sort of lazy like that.**

**Lock & Key**

**By Scott Jewett**

**Chapter 1: The Chase is On**

_Back at the TARDIS…_

"So!" the Doctor said, jumping to his feet. "Where to next? You're obviously feeling better…care for a trip? Ancient Greece? The Crystal Planet in the Xaxon Star Belt? Actual living crystals. Nicest beings you ever met…bit fragile though…"

"Doctor," Clara said, interrupting his spiel, "if it's all the same to you, I'd like to head home for a while. All that time travel and intense pain really took it out of me." The Doctor looked a bit crestfallen.

"Yes…of course…don't know what I was thinking" he said, rubbing his hands together. "Well then…to the control room?" Clara's response was interrupted by a massive blast that knocked the room sideways. Clara and the Doctor cried out in surprise as they were thrown into a corner, one on top of the other.

"Well!" the Doctor cried, hardly disguising his delight at a problem. "That was unexpected!" He leapt to his feet, pulling Clara off the floor.

"What was that?" Clara asked, seconds before another blast hit, throwing the pair around again.

"Explosions, I imagine!" the Doctor replied. "Two of them. Something hitting the TARDIS, and someone attacking us!" He dashed off to the control room, Clara in his wake, as subsequent explosions rocked the corridor left and right.

"Who would be attacking you for no reason, Doctor?" Clara cried over the sudden eruption of a loud klaxon alarm.

"Oh, I'm sure they've got a reason, Clara, we just don't know what it is! And remind me when this is over to fix that alarm. Far too slow!" The Doctor skidded to a halt in front of the TARDIS console, flicking two switches and pulling on a string.

"All right, here we go…Who's out there shooting at my ship? Identify yourselves!" There was silence for a beat, and then…

_**"Doctor. The Dalek Empire knows of your secret."**_ The Doctor and Clara froze at the sound of the Dalek's voice.

"No…" Clara whispered. "Not them…not now!" Having no idea what was going on, the Doctor decided to go with a bluff.

"I've got more secrets than you can imagine, oh Supreme Dalek or whatever you call yourself, so get to the point so I can get on with stopping you! Wait a minute. You know who I am?" The Doctor spun around to face Clara, whipping out his sonic screwdriver. A quick scan revealed the truth.

"Oh, I see. Some clever little Dalek locked on to the remnants of the neural net in Clara's head!"

"The what?" Clara whimpered.

"You were Oswin, remember? They made her one of them, connected her to the Dalek neural network. You must have some remnant of it in your brain that they could make contact with."

"_**Correct, Doctor" **_the commander replied, _**"and that is not all we found."**_ A hologram appeared in the TARDIS, showing the War Doctor's actions. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"No…NO!" he shouted. "You can't! I know what you want to do…you can't do it! I won't let you!"

_**"You will not stop us, Doctor"**_ the commander replied. _**"We will acquire your device. We will restore the glory of the Dalek Empire. We will destroy Gallifrey. And you will be exterminated. Exterminate!" **_The battle cry of the Daleks repeated and echoed through the TARDIS before the Doctor shut down the communication. He took a deep breath, turned back around, and scanned Clara.

"All right, this should do it…" The screwdriver chattered through various settings as he waved it back and forth in front of Clara's eyes. "The neural net should be disabled. Now, to more important things!" The Doctor spun back around, manipulating instruments like a madman. Clara, naturally, was confused.

"Doctor, I don't know if you remember, but I don't. Literally. I might have been there and seen what you did, but I don't remember now! Can you please enlighten me?" The Doctor stopped his mad dash and turned around.

"Clara. What you just saw was how I ended the Last Great Time War. It was a battle that was literally destroying space and time, between Time Lords and Daleks. The weapon I stole from Gallifrey was known as the Time Lock. It locked every living thing in the galaxy out of time itself. Essentially, the Time War is frozen at the exact moment in time that I turned that key, while the rest of the universe has gone on. Now the Daleks are after the lock. Once they have it, they'll do whatever it takes to get the key from me-this key, in fact" he said, pulling the key to the TARDIS out of his pocket. "The one advantage we have is that I separated the components of the lock and hid them among multiple parallel universes. No, wait, two. I disabled the neural net, so the Daleks won't be able to use you to spy." He went back to his work. Clara came up next to him.

"So…parallel universes?"

"Yes. You see, every single thing we do or don't do creates its own universe. There's now a whole new universe in which you didn't just come up next to me. And another one," he added, pushing a button, "where I didn't just push that button. Although in that one, the TARDIS has probably just exploded. That button was important. Anyway, the universes I selected to hide the pieces of the lock in are probably going to look familiar to you if you've read and watched a lot of books and movies."

"What?"

"Every piece of pop culture, Clara, in this universe and others, actually exists somewhere in the multiverse, because there's always a universe where the circumstances needed to bring about that exact pop culture item actually happened. Now, give me a second…" The Doctor continued his fiddling with the TARDIS console. "Boost the power…jettison the massage parlor…enter the coordinates…locking on to the exact dimensional matrix…Yes!"

"Wait a minute, Doctor!" Clara exclaimed. "You…the other you…just said that traveling between dimensions is nearly impossible without the Time Lords!"

"Yes, I did" the Doctor replied, "but that's nearly impossible. Not entirely. And the Daleks will find a way no matter what, Time Lords or no. It's in their nature to be especially single-minded when they want something. So we have to get to the first piece of the lock before they do. Hold on to something!" He reached for the lever.

"Doctor, where exactly are we going?" Clara worried.

"To school! GERONIMO!" The Doctor yanked the lever. The lights in the TARDIS almost immediately went out, and a loud banging sound rang out as the room tilted nearly upside down. From the outside, the Daleks watched the TARDIS flicker in and out of existence repeatedly before disappearing.

_**"Follow them." **_

A/N: And there's the prologue. Read and review!


	3. School Days

**Usual disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Doctor Who; or, as of this chapter, the other universe the Doctor and Clara will be entering. (Did you think I'd give it away?)**

**Lock & Key**

**By Scott Jewett**

**Chapter 2: School Days**

With a sound like keys scraping piano wire, the TARDIS materialized inside what looked like a very dark and dingy pub. An old man with long white hair and beard watched, not seeming surprised at all as the Doctor burst out, sonic screwdriver in hand. He scanned as the man spoke.

"Good thing I'm closed, you know." The Doctor spun around, sonic screwdriver glowing, to face the man.

"Aberforth! Good to see you! How's things with your brother? Patched up yet? No, of course you haven't, forget I said it. This is my companion, Clara" he said, gesturing as Clara stepped out of the TARDIS.

"Miss" Aberforth said, then turned his attention to the Doctor.

"You look different, Doctor…Polyjuice?"

"Not exactly. Now, tell me…have you seen any weird looking robots around? Look like giant salt shakers with plungers on them?"

"Robots? You mean those Muggle machines?" Clara had realized almost as soon as she walked in where she was, but the shock had prevented her from speaking. That rapidly changed as she interrupted the conversation.

"We're in Harry Potter. This is Harry Potter!" The Doctor turned around to her.

"No, Clara, this is Aberforth Dumbledore," Clara actually squealed in delight "and we're in his inn, the Hog's Head, in the village of Hogsmeade, where, as you know, there's a secret passage that leads to Hogwarts." He paused. "Rather a lot of hogs, now that I think about it. The point is, this is real, and yes, you're going to meet Albus Dumbledore. Try to control yourself, please!" He turned back to Aberforth. "Ab, we need the secret passage. I have to talk to your brother."

Aberforth grunted and led the Doctor and Clara to the portrait of his sister, Ariana. He swung the portrait around on its hidden hinge, revealing the secret passageway. The Doctor smiled and jumped through the hole. Clara turned to Aberforth.

"It was so nice to meet you….Ab" she said, grinning like a fanboy. "Tell me, though…what was the deal with that goat?"

"CLARA!" the Doctor shouted from the passage.

"Nevermind!" Clara said, following the Doctor. The pair walked quickly down the narrow stone corridor.

_Miles above the Earth…_

The Dalek ship shimmered into existence.

_**"Scanning planet surface for the Doctor" **_the science officer said.

_**"Locate and kill the Doctor" **_ the commander said to a waiting squadron of ten Daleks. _**"Retrieve the device. Exterminate any opposition."**_

_** "We obey" **_ the squadron replied in unison. A hatch opened in the floor. The invading Dalek squadron rose off the floor and dropped through it, out into space.

_**"Doctor located. Proceeding to specified coordinates." **_ The Daleks sank down toward the unknowing planet.

_Back at Hogwarts…_

"So, Doctor," Clara said, "who else do I get to meet?" The Doctor checked his cheap-looking gold watch.

"No one, I'm afraid" he replied, taking the wind out of Clara's sails. "Locally, it's summertime, 1983. No students at school, and Harry Potter's just a toddler with a scar at this point." Clara frowned.

"Will Dumbledore still be at Hogwarts if it's summertime?"

"I imagine so," the Doctor replied as they stepped into the Room of Requirement, "he's here pretty much all the time at this point. He knows Voldemort will return, and he's devoting all his energies to finding out how it could be done and what he can do to stop it." The pair exited the Room of Requirement, making use of the Doctor's surprising knowledge of Hogwarts to make it to the headmaster's office without being seen. They paused at the stone gargoyle.

"Right…the password…" the Doctor said.

"Lemon drop" Clara spoke up. The gargoyle leapt out of the way as the Doctor glanced at Clara in shock. She grinned.

"The way I just geeked out over Aberforth Dumbledore, and you didn't think I could guess a password?" She took the steps two at a time, the Doctor in her wake.

"Albus!" the Doctor said happily as he bounded into the headmaster's office, pushing ahead of Clara, who had paused to take it all in. "So good to see you again!" Albus Dumbledore looked up from the book he'd been studying.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"It's the Doctor, Albus! Remember what I told you? Regeneration? Like Polyjuice Potion, but not? New face, new clothes…new companion!" He turned to Clara. "Clara, meet Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumlbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He paused to take a breath. "That is a mouthful." Clara came forward wordlessly and shook Dumbledore's hand, actually staring at it.

"It's undamaged…" she muttered.

"What?" Dumbledore asked.

"Nothing, nothing" the Doctor interjected, separating them. "Now, Albus, I need that part of the Lock that I left with you. There are some very evil creatures after it."

"Of course, Doctor" Dumbledore replied, striding to the shelf where the Sorting Hat was kept.

"The Sorting Hat!" Clara squealed excitedly.

"Shhh!" the Doctor replied as Dumbledore stuck his hand in the Hat up to his shoulder, rooting around inside it.

"Hmmm…No, that's not it" he said, partially removing the Sword of Gryffindor (Clara quietly squealed again) and putting it back. "Maybe…no, too round…too smooth…was that moving?...Ah!" He smiled and pulled out a wedge-shaped section of the Lock, handing it to the Doctor.

"Excellent" the Doctor said. "Thank you, my friend. And how is young Harry?"

"Well protected, thank goodness" Dumbledore replied. "I owe you for the help you provided when you left that here."

"Help?" Clara asked.

"I happened to show up around the time that Dumbledore was wondering about the fate of Voldemort's soul" the Doctor said. "I posed as Harry's pediatrician and performed a few genetic tests that confirmed the presence of Voldemort's DNA in Harry, confirming Dumbledore's theory."

"And possibly saving Harry's life" Dumbledore replied. "That young boy means more to the wizarding world than you might know, young lady." Clara smiled quietly to herself.

"Well, Albus, before death and destruction rain down upon us all, I'll just bid you goodbye" the Doctor said, turning to the door. He made it roughly three steps before a familiar voice sounded out.

_**"Exterminate!"**_

"Damn!" he said. "Clara, we have to go. Now!" The pair practically flew down the staircase, Dumbledore following close behind.

"Death and destruction, Doctor?" he asked.

"Oh, just some old enemies of mine, wanting to kill me and possess this, nothing out of the ordinary" the Doctor replied, brandishing the piece of the Time Lock like it was a weapon.

"Sadly, he's right" Clara added as they reached the front doors. "Doctor, why aren't we using the secret passage again?"

"If the Daleks can't see us or the piece of the Lock, they'll destroy Hogwarts to try and get it" the Doctor replied. "We can't let that happen!" The trio dashed out onto the front lawn. Looking up, Clara saw a formation of small specks, sinking towards the ground. For a minute, fear and curiosity warred within her. Even as the specks got big enough to discern their shape, and the Dalek cries of _**"Exterminate!"**_ got louder, she looked back at the Doctor.

"I think we'll be okay" she said. The Doctor looked at her as though she'd suddenly sprouted wings and bright purple feathers.

"Why would you think that, at this point?"

"This is the Harry Potter universe, isn't it?" she said as Dumbledore whipped out his wand. "It's just like the one in the…well, you know. So, it stands to reason that…"

"Look out!" Dumbledore said, diving into Clara, pushing her away as a falling Dalek crashed to the ground where she had been. The Doctor looked up, then dove away as well, as the other nine Daleks hit the ground in a squeal of crashing metal and showers of sparks. The three of them got to their feet, surveying the wreckages.

"Fascinating," Dumbledore murmured, waving his wand over one of the Daleks. "Is there something…alive in there?"

"Alive, and more dangerous than you can imagine" the Doctor said. "Clara, how did you know?"

"You've read the books, haven't you, Doctor?" Clara smiled. "You tell me." The Doctor thought for half a second.

"Of course!" he grinned. "Technology doesn't work around Hogwarts. There's too much magic in the air! Clara, you genius!"

"Doctor?" Dumbledore spoke up. Clara and the Doctor turned to see Dumbledore examining a particular wreck. The exterior casing was badly damaged and had split open, revealing a Dalek in its natural form. Tentacles waved feebly as the trio watched.

"Why isn't it speaking?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's trying to" the Doctor replied. "All the technology in its battle armor doesn't work, so we can't understand it. Daleks haven't needed actual mouths to speak since they started shutting themselves up in these things." He turned away for a second, thinking. Clara looked down at the Dalek, reduced to nothing without a protective casing, and actually managed a small amount of pity (although she wouldn't be wasting much of it on a race that forcibly converted an alternate version of her).

"They're dead" Dumbledore spoke up. The Doctor spun around to see the last weakly moving tentacle fall to the ground. His expression was unreadable.

"Albus, do whatever you want with them. Clara, we have to go, now!" He grabbed Clara's hand and took off down the front lawn. "We need to get to the TARDIS and out of this dimension. I'm sure the Daleks are already wondering what happened."

_Aboard the Dalek ship…_

_"__**Report."**_

_** "Communications interrupted. Dalek squadron unresponsive. Unable to locate." **_ What passed for Dalek radar showed a large blind spot close to the spot where the TARDIS was known to be.

"_**Probe external sensors." **_A hologram popped up, documenting the invading squadron's journey from the Dalek ship to the surface. A sensor pointed at the ground showed a small village, as well as a large building and three small specks that resolved themselves into the Doctor, Dalek Oswin, and an unknown man with a great deal of long hair and beard. As the Daleks drew closer, the image cut off.

_**"Explain loss of transmission"**_ the commander ordered.

_**"Complete power loss. Source unidentified." **_ The Dalek commander paused.

_**"Attempt reactivation of neural link to Dalek Oswin."**_

_Back at the Hog's Head…_

The pair flew through the front door, startling a goat.

"Seriously, that is weird" Clara said. "And indoors, too!"

"Not now!" the Doctor snapped, pulling her inside the TARDIS. The Doctor capered around the console, flicking switches and turning dials. The TARDIS did its usual slow dematerialization as Aberforth Dumbledore watched from the outside.

"Odd man" he thought, turning to his goat.

The TARDIS materialized well above the planet, close to the Dalek ship. The Doctor opened visual communication.

"All right, you metal maniacs, listen up!" he shouted. "I've got the piece of the Lock, and I'm leaving for the rest, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

_**"Neural link reactivated and secured"**_ the science officer aboard the Dalek ship said.

"What?" The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned Clara.

"How did they…they did! They reactivated the neural link! And it's…deadlocked? How do you deadlock seal a neural connection?" He turned to the console, vainly attempting to sever the link. Clara was frozen in shock.

"They're back inside my head?" she whimpered. The Doctor turned to her.

"Clara, you'll be fine, I promise" he said. "There's just one thing…" He clasped his hands to both sides of her head, staring her in the face.

"Doctor, what…" was all Clara got out before losing consciousness.

_**"Dalek Oswin unresponsive" **_the Dalek commander said. _**"What did you do?"**_

"Just knocked her out" the Doctor replied, "a little Time Lord trick. Try all you like, you'll never get through. Now, you listen to me." he added, stepping closer to the communication screen. "You've just hurt one of my closest friends in the worst possible way. I WILL get you out of her head, I WILL stop you from getting any pieces of the Time Lock, and then, I WILL return to our home dimension and remind you why you call me The Oncoming Storm!" He cut the transmission.

_**"The Doctor is angry"**_ the science officer said, actually seeming to tremble. _**"Suggest termination of mission."**_

_** "The mission will proceed" **_ the commander replied. _**"Attempt secondary course of action." **_The science officer seemed unsure.

_**"ATTEMPT SECONDARY COURSE OF ACTION" **_the commander repeated. The science officer wavered.

_**"I obey."**_

On board the TARDIS, the Doctor was busy at the console, making the calculations he needed to travel to the next dimension. Had he not been quite so engrossed, he may have been impressed by the sophistication of the Dalek neural net. Even though an incomplete form of it was implanted in Clara's mind, enough was there to grant a semblance of muscle control. Enough to open one eyelid, in fact. The TARDIS viewscreen, where the Doctor had entered the coordinates of each dimension he intended to travel to, was just visible enough for the Daleks to continue to follow the Doctor.

The Doctor, of course, didn't notice a bit. He was too busy preparing for his next trip.

"Okay, connecting to reserve artron energy capacitors…adjusting dimensional stabilizers…now where to go next." He paused, surveying the remaining five dimensions.

"Here we go…Clara is going to hate that she missed this one. Maybe I can do something about that…" He yanked the lever, and the TARDIS disappeared.

_**"Follow."**_

**A/N: I feel like this took me forever. Read and review please! And the other two, if you're not too busy.**


	4. The Return of the Doctor

**Forget the disclaimer. I'm kind of on a roll here.**

**Lock & Key**

**By Scott Jewett**

**Chapter 4: The Return of the Doctor**

The Dalek ship appeared above the alternate Earth containing the next piece of the Time Lock.

_**"Scanning planet" **_ the science officer said. _**"Primitive technology found…one advanced energy signature. It is the piece of the Lock."**_

_** "This planet could not stand against even one Dalek"**_ the commander said. _**"Send one unit."**_

_** "What about the Doctor?" **_ replied the science officer, who looked surprisingly nervous for an alien battle tank with no visible face.

_**"The Doctor was lucky before" **_ the commander said. _**"He shall not be so lucky again. Send one unit to the planet. Continue attempt to revive Dalek Oswin."**_

_Just before this happened…_

The TARDIS materialized at the edge of a great forest. The Doctor checked on Clara to make sure she was okay before poking his head out. He saw two men speaking near the treeline. One was incredibly old, dressed in gray robes, with a long white beard, carrying a staff. The other was younger, dressed all in brown, looking oddly like a piece of bark with moss on it. He seemed rather worried about something. The Doctor left the TARDIS to join them.

"-and I think it's getting worse," the man in brown said, "all my efforts are barely enough to stop it, and in some places, they aren't!"

"Calm yourself, old friend," the man in grey said. "We'll take the issue to Saruman soon enough." He turned his head as the Doctor approached.

"Who are…" He looked past the Doctor, to the TARDIS. His eyes lit up. "Doctor!"

"Excuse me," the man in brown said, "but since you won't offer me any help, Gandalf, I've suddenly become extremely busy!" He stormed off into the forest. The Doctor watched him go with a puzzled look on his face.

"Who was that?"

"Radagast the Brown, my fellow wizard" Gandalf replied. "Why?"

"He looks so familiar…Anyway," he said, turning back, "nice to see you again, Gandalf! Still in the grey robes. Good. They suit you. Grey robes are cool."

"And you look…well, very different, I must say" Gandalf replied. "That little…what did you call it? "Regeneration" trick of yours?"

"Couple of times since we last met, nothing major" the Doctor said. "I'm here on business, sorry to say. I have some deadly enemies on my tail who desperately want the device I gave you." Gandalf looked worried.

"The device, you say?" The Doctor's face fell.

"Why do you say it like that? Gandalf, where is it?"

"Oh, it's at my home, that's not the problem" Gandalf replied.

"And the problem is…?"

"Doctor, we're quite a distance from my home. Perhaps three days walk." The Doctor, who was not normally known to panic, started to panic.

"Oh no, this is bad, this is…so bad!" He started to pace back and forth, hands to his head. "The Daleks can pinpoint the Lock from space…they can send as many as they want directly to your home…we could already be too late!"

"Doctor," Gandalf interjected, "hope is not lost. We don't necessarily have to walk." The Doctor froze mid-pace.

"What?"

Gandalf raised his arms, chanting. A smile spread over the Doctor's face.

"Wait…is this…?" On the horizon, a small speck appeared. It grew as it came closer, finally resolving itself into a giant eagle.

"Ah, the giant eagle!" the Doctor said. "That is cool. Where exactly do you hold on?" He climbed up behind Gandalf as the eagle launched itself into the air with a rush of massive wings. The Doctor looked ahead nervously.

"Have you talked to Bilbo yet?" he shouted over the rushing winds.

"I'll be headed there tomorrow" Gandalf replied. "You were right to suggest him when you were here before. He's got enough Took in him to be adventurous, and not enough to be a complete fool." The ground raced by beneath them as the eagle flew, across bare plains and over mountains, taking the straightest route to Gandalf's home.

"Now, that is odd" Gandalf remarked, pointing to the sky. The Doctor looked up to see a small, sadly familiar speck descending towards the same spot as them.

"Just one?" he said. "They must think one will be enough on this world. Gandalf, we have to hurry. That's the enemy I mentioned!"

"Quite odd looking, I must say" Gandalf replied. "Like it had armor all over its body."

"It does" the Doctor replied. "And weapons never seen before in Middle-Earth. Hence the need to hurry!" The eagle began to descend as Gandalf spoke.

"Doctor, if I'm correct, that enemy of yours will have problems of its own to deal with before we get there."

"Problems? It can fly over obstacles and has no idea what magic is!"

"Not magic. Dwarves."

"Dwarves? Okay, I know dwarves are tough, but this is a Dalek we're talking about! It would be like taking on an orc that can shoot fire from his hands! No, even worse than that. It would be like taking on Sauron himself! And I still think I'm underselling it!"

As they landed, the sounds of metal clanging against metal met their ears, along with laser blasts and the ever-familiar _**"Exterminate!"**_ of the Dalek. The Doctor was running as soon as he hit the ground, sonic screwdriver in hand. Gandalf was close behind as they approached his home. A large cave with a wooden door set into the entrance was being defended by a group of dwarves, who were taking cover behind whatever they could find. A separate group were attacking the Dalek, creating a horrible din of swords and axes clanging against the impenetrable shell of its armor. Its eyestalk swiveled this way and that as it attempted to shoot anything attacking it. The Doctor stopped short.

"This is unbelievable…you live in a cave?" he asked Gandalf.

"I hardly think this is the time to discuss my living arrangements, Doctor!" Gandalf snapped, and raised his staff. A bolt of lightning shot down from a cloudless sky, striking the Dalek and scattering the dwarves. Gandalf smiled in victory.

"Wait for it…" the Doctor sighed.

_**"Absorbing energy"**_ the Dalek said, its eyestalk no longer swiveling. _**"Power reserves at maximum." **_ The eyestalk focused on the largest rock, currently hiding four dwarves. A supercharged blast of energy reduced it to rubble, injuring all the dwarves nearby. Gandalf was shocked.

"I thought…" he said.

"I know" the Doctor responded. "It's okay. I wouldn't have thought the Dalek could utilize energy from a different dimension, but that's what backup plans are for."

"And do you have one?" Gandalf asked.

"No." He strode forward, screwdriver pointed at the Dalek.

"ATTENTION, DALEK!" he shouted. Everyone turned in spite of themselves to look at the Doctor.

"_**Doctor!" **_the Dalek said. _**"EXTERMINATE!" **_The blaster snapped up, pointing at him.

"Wait a minute!" the Doctor said. "You're forgetting something!" The Dalek stopped, confused.

"_**What am I forgetting?" **_The Doctor opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"I don't know. Nothing, I suppose. Call it a bluff." He paused momentarily as a dwarf behind the Dalek moved into position. "Or, if you prefer…a distraction!"

Thorin Oakenshield, prince of dwarves, leapt forward, diamond-edged axe in hand, and swung with all his strength, severing the Dalek's eyestalk. He rolled out of the way of the blaster. Everyone scattered. The Dalek swung left and right in distress.

"_**Vision impaired! Vision impaired! Contacting ship for instructions!"**_

"Hold it!" the Doctor interjected. "One thing first." He pointed his sonic screwdriver and clicked. With a familiar hum, the sonic shut down all of the Dalek systems, excepting life support.

"Just needed a crack in the armor, as it were" the Doctor said, pocketing his screwdriver and approaching the now-inert Dalek. "You can all come out now…it can't do a thing!"

Despite the Doctor's reassurance, the dwarves emerged slowly, gathering around the motionless Dalek. A couple of them prodded at it with their weapons.

"Oh, there's no need for that" the Doctor said. "Couldn't move now if it wanted to…and I'm sure it does. I'll have to take it with me, though…Gandalf?"

"Over here, Doctor" Gandalf called from the door of his home, another piece of the Time Lock in his hand.

"Excellent!" the Doctor said. "We need to go. Immediately."

_Aboard the Dalek ship…_

"_**Dalek drone is unresponsive" **_ the science officer said. _**"Detecting movement of section of the Time Lock."**_

_** "Progress report on Dalek Oswin" **_ the commander replied.

_** "Drone still unconscious. We have minimal motor con-" **_The science officer's report was cut off by a transmitted message, modulated well past maximum tolerance levels for Dalek communications.

** "I WARNED YOU NOT TO INTERFERE."**The Doctor's voice thundered through the Dalek ship, highly agitating the entire crew. Sparks flew from within the armored hulls as their internal communication devices began to short out. "**I BELIEVE THIS BELONGS TO YOU."**

The powerless Dalek drone smashed against the viewing window of the Dalek ship, nearly splitting itself in half, sending spidery cracks along the length of the reinforced glass. The vacuum of space took over, sucking the unfortunate Dalek out of its armor into the icy cold blackness. The Dalek commander watched it float away as the TARDIS came into view behind the wreckage.

"**NO MORE." **And the TARDIS vanished.

_**"Proceed with plans" **_ the commander said in a weakened, feeble-sounding voice. _**"Regain control of Dalek Oswin. Repairs needed."**_ No one responded. Most of them couldn't. The ones who could were understandably shocked. To their knowledge, the Doctor had never purposely killed a Dalek, at least not when it could have been avoided. Still, being Daleks, they went about following orders.

_Back aboard the TARDIS…_

Clara slowly awoke to find the Doctor watching her intently. She sat up, looking around as he smiled. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to help you" he said, turning to the TARDIS console. "But, if you're awake, that means it was successful."

"What was successful?" Clara asked. The Doctor made a vague notion towards her chest. Clara's eyes widened.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means 'look down'" the Doctor replied without looking. Clara did. A thin silver necklace hung around her neck, almost seeming to glitter by itself.

"It's beautiful," she remarked as she tried to lift it up, "but why can't I move it?"

"Don't try!" the Doctor said. "It's connected to you. While you slept, it made tiny subcutaneous connections that allowed a team of nanobots into your bloodstream. Those nanobots have linked up wirelessly to block any incoming signals or transmissions into your body, and for it to work, the necklace can't be taken off. Think of it has being a human wi-fi hotspot…well, the human opposite of one, anyway. I thought you might like to be present as I collected the rest of the Lock." Clara smiled brightly.

"So I can go with you again? To wherever? Wait," she said, thinking for a minute, "how long have I been out?" The Doctor looked away, embarrassed.

"Well, I didn't want to tell you, but…you missed Middle-Earth." Clara went crimson.

"I think I could kill the Daleks myself, just for that!" The Doctor took her hand.

"Calm yourself, Clara, there are still four more pieces of the Lock to get. I'm sure we'll be able to satisfy the fangirl that I never knew existed in you. I mean, seriously, when did this happen? Anyway," he jumped away, fiddling with the TARDIS console, "we'll be off again momentarily."

"Where are we going this time?" Clara asked, standing next to the Doctor.

"Traveling in space and time this time, Clara. Far away and long ago." With a pull of the lever, the TARDIS banged and shook. Clara and the Doctor were thrown every which way as sparks burst from the console. The pair pulled themselves up from the floor, fighting their way back to the console.

"Damn it, left the brakes on again…" the Doctor muttered. "Okay, here we go!"

And the TARDIS vanished again, right in front of the Dalek ship.

_**"Select coordinates from list, and follow."**_

**A/N: We all got the Radagast reference, right? Good. Read and review!**


	5. A Long Time Ago

**Nope, don't own it. Wish I did, don't. Especially the crossover universe.**

**And off we go again!**

Lock & Key

By Scott Jewett

Chapter 5: A Long Time Ago

The wizened figure hunched over the cooking pot propped over his fire, stirring his evening meal. It would be a light meal, even by his standards, but he was getting older, as much as he hated admitting it to himself. Not that there was anyone else to admit it to. Hiding from one's enemies didn't leave a lot of opportunity for socializing, hence the self-imposed exile on this swampy jungle planet.

His pointed ears pricked up suddenly. Even at his advanced age, the faint sound of a ship's engine was unmistakable, clashing as it did with the regular sounds outside his door. This engine, though, was both unrecognizable, and vaguely familiar. It took a few seconds before a slight smile appeared on the figure's face.

"Ahhhh…returned, he has."

The TARDIS settled down heavily as the Doctor spoke to Clara.

"Now. This planet is dangerous, the terrain is treacherous, and I highly doubt the Daleks listened to my warning, so please be careful. Also, if you feel the need to reveal anything you might know about the future, DON'T! I've done enough damage by traveling to these dimensions in the first place."

"Don't worry, Doctor," Clara replied, fingers brushing over her permanent jewelry as she pulled the TARDIS door open. "I'm sure I'll be _fiiiiii-!" _She grabbed blindly at the doorframe with both hands, barely managing to not plunge into the depths of the murky water the Doctor had parked the TARDIS next to.

"Now what?" the Doctor cried, darting forward and pulling her back. "Ah." he added, looking past her. "Not my best parking job. Still waters run deep, and all that." He dashed back to the console, turning the TARDIS 90 degrees.

"Better?" he asked, looking up.

"Much" Clara replied. She took a few tentative steps out the door as the Doctor followed. She soon stopped, realizing where she was.

"Oh my god…" she trailed off. "It's…it's…"

"Dagobah" the Doctor finished. "Currently home to many different jungle and swamp-related species, and as you obviously know, one small green Jedi Master. Makes it easy to know who we're going to see, doesn't it?" He strode off purposefully, Clara in his wake (but not so shocked that she didn't follow his steps exactly. She hadn't forgotten the landing.)

"I can't believe I'm going to meet Master Yoda!" she squealed excitedly.

"Meet, talk to, probably hide from Daleks with" the Doctor replied. "The usual things we do when we meet beings on other planets. It just happens that this one can move things with his mind." He helped Clara over a fallen log. A thought occurred to Clara.

"That reminds me, Doctor," she said, "what exactly is the deal with the Force?"

"Well, I'm sure you'll be glad to know that we're in the universe where it's more of a quasi-mythical energy that permeates everything" the Doctor replied. "None of that 'midichlorian' nonsense here. I performed a few studies of my own the last time I was here, but there's no definite factor that influences whether or not someone can use the Force, or to what degree. It's completely random." They were approaching the familiar areas of Dagobah now.

"Oh!" Clara said, pointing. "There's the cave! I wouldn't want to try going in there."

"'Do, or do not. There is no try" they said together, laughing.

"Said that, I did" a familiar voice remarked from nearby. Clara and the Doctor spun around guiltily. Yoda was watching them from not too far off.

"Doctor?" Yoda asked. "Different, you look. Your mind…changed, it has."

"For the better, I think" the Doctor replied. "Master Yoda, may I introduce Clara Oswald?" Clara stepped forward, extending a trembling hand.

"A…a pleasure" she stammered. Yoda frowned.

"Your mind…interesting, it is. Many adventures you have had…different Doctors, you have known?"

"Yes, yes" the Doctor interrupted, "it's a long story. No time to tell it, and you probably got it from her mind already. Now," he said, rubbing his hands, "I need the device I left with you when I was here last."

"Of course" Yoda replied, turning toward his home.

"Wait, wait" Clara interjected. "We're on a time limit here, and I've seen you walk before." She bent down and picked Yoda up, carrying him piggyback. Yoda's face lit up.

"Like you, I do!"

"Really?" the Doctor asked as they set off together. "Anyway. How goes the battle against the Empire?"

"Rarely does news come" Yoda replied. "Eager to rejoin his friends, young Skywalker was. Careful, I hope he is."

"Yeah, wouldn't want him to lose a hand or anything" Clara muttered. She slipped as a small patch of ground gave way under her foot. The Doctor caught the pair of them.

"Careful!" Yoda said. "Very old, I am. When nine hundred years old you reach, more careful will you be."

"Oh, I don't know about that" the Doctor replied. "I passed that long ago, and I think I take even more risk-DOWN!" He threw himself at Clara and Yoda, knocking them to the ground as a blast shot through the space where they had been, obliterating the trees behind them.

_**"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"**_

"I told you they wouldn't listen!" the Doctor yelled as the trio took cover behind a huge rock.

"What are they?" Yoda asked. "Blocked from me, their minds are."

"Alien physiology, psychic shielding, take your pick" the Doctor said. "Those are very dangerous creatures that want me and Miss Oswald dead. And they somehow got here ahead of me!"

Clara risked a look. Two Daleks were positioned outside Yoda's open door. There didn't seem to be any others in the area. Another blast took out a chunk of rock as she ducked back.

"Okay, what do we do?" she asked.

"I don't know right now!" the Doctor snapped. "I'm rather angry at the moment, because they just couldn't give up and go home, could they? No, they had to ignore me, with their bloody single-mindedness and hatred of every…single…thing!" He jumped up, pointing his sonic screwdriver at a nearby tree. With a buzz of circuitry, the tree uprooted itself, crashing down on one of the Daleks. Unfortunately, it did no damage, and another laser blast destroyed it. The Doctor barely noticed.

"Come on, you two!" he yelled, darting left and right as the Daleks used him for target practice. "No Dalek's gotten me yet! Except that one time, and I was distracted, so doesn't count!" He dashed off to the side, completely occupying the Daleks' attention.

"An odd plan, this is" Yoda remarked, observing from behind the rock.

"If it is a plan" Clara said. "I can't tell you how many times he's gone blindly into a situation without one."

"In your mind, the answer is" Yoda replied. "For now, however, assist the Doctor we must."

"But how?" Clara asked. "I was a Dalek once…long story…"

"I know," Yoda interjected. "Saw it in your mind, I did."

"Right…" Clara said. "Well, despite that, I still don't know what to do about them!"

"A small idea, I have" Yoda said, patting his side. "Carry me again?" Clara looked at Yoda oddly as she picked him up, carrying him out from behind the rock. The Doctor's antics hadn't done the best job of distracting the Daleks. The pair in front of Yoda's door hadn't moved. After the Doctor left their range of vision, they resorted to scanning left and right in the hopes of finding him again. They oriented on Clara and Yoda almost immediately.

_**"Life form native to this universe"**_ one of them said. _**"Analysis: small, slow, no extraordinary power."**_

_**"Second life form identified as Drone Oswin"**_ the other Dalek replied. _**"Not yet able to regain neural control." **_

_** "EXTERMINATE" **_ the pair said together as they fired on Clara and Yoda. Clara was too shocked to move…

And Yoda saved the day. Moving faster than Clara had ever seen him, Master Yoda whipped out his green lightsaber, deflecting the Daleks' laser blasts harmlessly to the ground. He somersaulted through the air, taking a defensive stance in front of Clara.

"Attacking the unarmed…unacceptable, I find that" he said.

"That's telling them, Yoda!" the Doctor called out from the top of Yoda's small hut, realizing his mistake as the Daleks oriented on him.

"Oops…" he said.

"No!" Clara cried.

_**"EXTERMINATE!" **_ the Daleks screamed.

Yoda raised both hands. The Daleks stopped dead.

_**"Unable to fire" **_ one Dalek said as the focusing lenses in their eyestalks dilated.

_**"MANUAL CONTROL OVERRIDDEN" **_ the second one added, actually sounding scared, as they seemed to turn to look at each other.

_**"WEAPONS POWERING UP!"**_ the pair called out desperately. _**"STOP THIS! STOP THIS!"**_

__And with a massive, Force-induced blast, the Daleks blew each others' heads off. The Doctor seemed to fall backwards off of Yoda's hut as he dove to avoid shrapnel. Yoda lowered his hands, closing his eyes and smiling.

"Wow" Clara said. "That is so much cooler in person!"

"Course it is" the Doctor remarked, coming around the front of Yoda's hut, "he's brilliant. Wonderful work, Master!"

"A pleasure, it was" Yoda replied. The Doctor stopped dead, suddenly looking worried.

"Doctor?" Clara asked. "What is it?"

"The door" the Doctor replied. "The door…was…OPEN!"

_**"EXTERMINATE!"**_ came the familiar cry from the door as a third Dalek rolled out of Yoda's hut. The Doctor ran, serpentine fashion, as the Dalek attempted to orient on him.

"So stupid of me!" the Doctor said. "Of course there'd be another one in there, getting the piece of the Time Lock. Master Yoda, if there's anything you can do…"

"Of course I can" Yoda replied, raising his hand again. The Dalek's weapons powered down.

_**"Unable to fire…Cannot explain…"**_ the Dalek said as Yoda swiftly removed the piece of the Time Lock he'd kept safe for the Doctor from the Dalek's casing.

"Now…" Yoda muttered, turning his head slightly and concentrating hard. The Dalek began to rise off the ground.

"_**ANTI-GRAVITY PODS NONFUNCTIONING! WHAT IS HAPPENING?" **_The Dalek's eyestalk rotated frantically as Yoda moved it through the air against its will, dumping it upside down in the murky swamp water.

"Leaving soon, he will not be" Yoda said.

"Not if that sludge could swallow an X-Wing" Clara said.

The Doctor bent down and picked up the piece of the Time Lock, examining it closely.

"Safe, I have kept it" Yoda said.

"Oh, I know" the Doctor replied as he examined it, "I'm just starting to wonder if it's worth it. It's probably not the best idea to have all the pieces back together. I'd destroy them if they weren't indestructible…the crucial parts were forged in the heart of a dwarf star. And not to alarm you" he added, turning to Clara, "but the Daleks have most likely been working on a way to get past that necklace of yours."

The Doctor was right, of course. High above Dagobah, the Dalek ship had witnessed the entire battle. The commander decided against sending in more drones, focusing more on bypassing the Doctor's nanobot technology. The entire science division of the Dalek Empire was currently working on the problem.

_**"We still have minimal neural control of Dalek Oswin" **_ the head science officer reported.

_**"Show me" **_the commander said.

Down on Dagobah, as the Doctor and Yoda were chatting, Clara blinked three times in succession. No one noticed, not even her.

_**"Neural control is far too limited" **_ the commander said. _**"Continue."**_

_** "I obey."**_

Back at the TARDIS, the Doctor leaned over the console, frowning.

"What is it, Doctor?" Clara asked. "Going to send another message to the Daleks?"

"Don't see the point in that, they don't listen anyway" the Doctor replied. "Clara, I may have to keep you away from the Time Lock. If the Daleks gain control of you somehow, despite my best efforts to stop them, I can't let them get it."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Clara asked, trying to hide the hurt look on her face from the realization that the Doctor might care about some technology more than her.

"I'm not sure yet," said the Doctor, straightening up suddenly and darting around the TARDIS console, "and right now, doesn't matter. We're three pieces away from having the whole thing…or is it four? Can't remember. Anyway. Off we go!"

Clara grinned. "Where to now?"

"Now, my dear Miss Oswald," the Doctor said, "we catch a train!"

"What?" Clara asked as the TARDIS vanished.

**A/N: Read and review…please? Seriously, no reviews yet?**


	6. The Two Doctors

**Train? What train? Where do we go from here?**

**Lock & Key**

**By Scott Jewett**

**Chapter 6: The Two Doctors**

"All right," Clara said as the whine of the TARDIS engines died down, "what do you mean about catching a train?"

"You'll see" the Doctor replied with a twinkle in his eye, starting towards the door. "Shall we?" He took three more steps before a massive blast rocked the TARDIS, sending them both reeling.

_**"It is the TARDIS! EXTERMINATE!"**_ came the unfortunately familiar cry from outside. The Doctor got up, helping Clara to her feet.

"That's not possible!" he gasped over the sound of laser blasts. "Daleks don't exist in this universe!"

"Maybe they got here first?" Clara suggested, wobbling as the TARDIS shook.

"Possible," the Doctor agreed, "but how did they find us so quickly, then? Unless…no. Oh, no." He dashed to the console of the TARDIS, flicking on the viewscreen.

"What? What is it?" Clara asked, trying to peek over the Doctor's shoulder, as he was holding the viewscreen far too close to his face.

"They didn't find us." The tone of the Doctor's voice was one Clara was far too familiar with. She referred to it in her mind as the "This is very, VERY bad" tone. It didn't help that it was underscored by the Dalek's continued assault on the TARDIS exterior.

"What do you mean, they didn't find us? They're out there, aren't they?"

"They're out there," the Doctor replied, "because they happened to be out there. It's a coincidence, Clara. Look." He pulled the viewscreen away from himself. Clara looked, and gasped.

The shaking of the TARDIS did nothing to distract from the fact that the parallel Earth looked like a massive industrial complex. No nature, darkened skies, large dirty buildings with smokestacks belching smog into the atmosphere. The visibility was drastically reduced. And, dotted among the landscape, were Daleks. Rolling over the ground in obvious patrol formations, floating through the skies in squadrons, and as far as Clara could see, rolling methodically out of a couple of larger buildings off to the left.

"Okay, why does this seem familiar, somehow?" she asked, unable to look away.

"Because you remember being Oswin" the Doctor replied. "Even the lowest Dalek in the chain of command, or in your case locked away at the center of a prison planet, has knowledge of the Dalek plan for universal domination. They've tried this on multiple planets in our universe, turning them into massive production facilities for Dalek battle suits. The humans are probably kept elsewhere, in labor camps, mining the materials they need from Earth or other suitable planets, or being converted into drones." Although he kept his voice even, Clara could sense even more anger in it. "This universe might be nothing like ours. I didn't have time to explore it fully. It could be empty apart from this galaxy, and they don't care! They just want it all. Another outpost of the glorious Dalek Empire." He flicked a few switches. The viewscreen shifted to a map of some sort, with various cone-shaped projections on it.

"As I thought!" he said. "Multiple temporal wormholes, but only one with a Dalek energy signature."

"Multiple?" Clara said. "As in…time travel?"

"Exactly!" the Doctor replied. "In this universe, one man was smart enough to invent time travel. Presumably, he has the next piece of the Time Lock with him in the past. The Daleks oriented on it from this point in time, and traveled back to get it. Probably decided to take the planet over from there, while they were at it. We need to follow their wormhole. I think," he added, checking a few readings, "we'll just be able to make it. The artron energy capacitors are starting to run low."

"Does that mean we won't make it back to our universe?" Clara asked.

"In any other universe, I'd say yes" the Doctor said. "However, assuming we're successful in the past, that shouldn't be a problem, thanks to my brilliant younger self. And we should probably hurry."

"Why?" Clara asked.

"Because the attack outside has stopped" the Doctor replied. "Daleks don't give up, especially if you're on a world they own. They've gone for the big guns, I'll wager." Bringing up the outside view on the viewscreen proved his point-a massive airship was coming toward them.

"Right, here we go!" The Doctor yanked down on the lever. "Time to grab that train!"

"Train?" Clara said. "Train! Time traveler! Doctor, where were we?"

"Same place we're going, Clara!" the Doctor replied gleefully. "Hill Valley, California!"

_Hill Valley, California_

_October 26, 1885_

_1:18 am_

The War Doctor had never enjoyed hot, dusty climates. They were too reminiscent of the planet he'd been on when he activated the Time Lock, effectively destroying his entire race. Even in the middle of the night, Wild West-era California was far too warm for him. Or maybe the atmosphere and weather conditions were slightly different in this universe.

However, a chance to do what he was doing now was too good to pass up. As he waved his sonic screwdriver over the last few components of the repaired steam engine, he smiled.

"I think that should do it, Emmett" he said as he pulled himself out from under the locomotive. "Just a few elements from the TARDIS, adapted for your universe's artron energy, of course. And I still say the hardest part was restoring the anti-gravity technology!" His companion, a man with a shock of white hair and crazy-looking eyes, laughed.

"Doctor, most of this technology was hard for me! The leaps and bounds your people have made in your universe! Time travel, space travel, even regeneration! Imagine being able to change your own genetic codes…"

"It's more of a burden than you might think" the Doctor interjected. "Live long enough, and you'll regret more than you can imagine. Anyway," he added, brushing dirt from his coat, "I imagine it's time for me to be going. More pieces of the Time Lock to hide, you know."

"And that!" Doc Brown said. "To be able to take things out of the time stream entirely! Just freeze them in a pocket universe, indefinitely…" The Doctor sighed.

"Emmett, I know this is all incredibly fascinating, but I really must be going." His tone betrayed the fact that he simply didn't want to talk about it. Doc Brown picked up on it.

"Of course, of course! Still, it will be a shame to see you go, Doctor. Having someone of your advanced intelligence to talk to, and repair my time vehicle...it has been a privilege!"

"It certainly has, Doctor" Clara Clayton said as she left her tent pitched near the railroad tracks.

"Clara!" Doc Brown said. "Why aren't you asleep? It's…" He checked his watch. "Great Scott!"

"What is it, Emmett?" Clara asked.

"Oh, it's nothing dangerous or worrisome" Doc Brown replied. "It's just that…my dear, at this moment, 100 years in the future, I made Einstein the world's first time traveler!"

"Einstein?" the War Doctor spoke up. "Oh, yes, your dog."

"Right," Doc Brown replied. "It's almost hard to believe that all this came from that moment, which technically hasn't happened yet!"

"Emmett, dear, please keep your voice down" Clara said. "You could attract bears or something."

"But Clara!" Doc Brown said. "After all, that moment led to us being together! If Marty hadn't tried escaping in the DeLorean, neither of us would be here today!"

"And neither would I!" the War Doctor broke in. "Emmett, Clara, I really must be going. Do take care of yourselves, and try to preserve the timeline as much as possible. Oh," he added, one foot inside the TARDIS, "you should also know that when I come back for that lock, I will probably have regenerated. My face will be different, but my memories won't." Doc Brown ran forward and shook the War Doctor's hand vigorously.

"Travel safely, my friend, and thank you again!" He stepped back, one hand around Clara's waist, as the TARDIS slowly dematerialized. Clara sighed.

"To understand even a fraction of that science…"she said.

"I know, my dear" Doc Brown replied, "but let's stick to what we know. Like getting that locomotive ready for time travel!" The pair turned towards the engine, then spun around as a familiar sound started up again.

"Emmett?" Clara gasped. "Is he back already?"

"I assume so, Clara!" Doc Brown replied as a less-battered looking TARDIS materialized in exactly the same spot it had left seconds before. Doc Brown and Clara watched with baited breath as the door swung open, revealing…a much younger-looking man, dressed in a purple suit and bowtie, with a white ten-gallon hat with a bullet hole on his head. His face lit up as he saw them.

"Emmett! Clara! Wonderful to see you again, it looks like I just left…wait a minute. It is, isn't it?" He spun around, screwdriver in hand, scanning. Clara popped her head out of the TARDIS.

"Any Daleks, Doctor?"

"Nope, set it down just before they arrived" the Doctor replied. "Ah, Hill Valley. Great to be back, love having the excuse to wear my Stetson again. Stetsons are cool." He turned to Doc Brown and Clara.

"I'm sorry, rambling just a bit, and I can see you're a bit confused. What to do…I know!" He grinned widely. "Emmett, I still say the hardest part of fixing the train you wrecked was restoring the anti-grav!" Doc Brown's mouth dropped open.

"Doctor? You really…did…Great Scott!" He clapped a hand to his forehead and fainted.

"Emmett!" Clara cried. The other Clara left the TARDIS to help.

"Gets a bit overstimulated, doesn't he?" she said to the future Mrs. Brown.

"Please just help me with him!" Clara replied. The Doctor helped the two of them lay him down in the cab of the locomotive.

"Should have remembered" the Doctor said. "He did the same thing when the TARDIS materialized in front of him the first time. Of course seeing the reality of regeneration would have the same effect. But," he said, "we have business to attend to. Clara…um, his Clara, not my Clara…"

"Who says I'm yours?" Clara (Oswald) demanded.

"Oh, this will be fun" the Doctor muttered. "All right. Miss Clayton, where is the piece of the Time Lock that I gave to Emmett? I've been followed by some very evil aliens who want to get their hands…well, tentacles…on it." Clara's eyes widened.

"Aliens? Actual beings from another planet?"

"Actual, evil, megalomaniacal, deadly, take your pick" Clara (again, Oswald) replied. "I know. I was one. Long story."

"And one we don't have time to tell" the Doctor added. "Oh, and also, I need to take parts of my TARDIS back."

"But you've just fixed the train" Clara said. "Why would you need to take back the parts you borrowed?"

"I need to modify them for my universe's energy signature again, to help power the TARDIS" the Doctor replied. "Otherwise, I might be stuck here forever with a dead spaceship. We can't let that happen, especially with the Daleks on the way."

A crackling sort of noise made the trio look up. Jagged bolts of energy materialized out of nowhere in the cloudless, star-filled sky. As they watched, a hole seemed to open up in space itself.

"Speak of the mechanical devils!" the Doctor yelled as the small Dalek scout ship slid out of the wormhole. "Clara, I need that piece now!"

Clara reached past the other Clara, up onto the top of the boiler, pulling down the piece of the Time Lock and handing it to the Doctor.

"Okay, as fast as I can, thank you, hide here, Oswin, run!" The Doctor tucked the piece of the Time Lock into his jacket pocket as he and Clara ran for the TARDIS.

_**"Time Lock technology detected!"**_

_** "The Doctor has it! He is headed for the TARDIS! EXTERMINATE!"**_

__"Why can we hear that?" Clara yelled.

"Don't know, don't care!" the Doctor replied. "RUN!"

Blasts of energy rained down around the pair as they ran haphazardly towards the TARDIS. The Doctor reached first, snapping his fingers as he ran. As the doors swung open, he stopped dead, grabbing Clara by the wrist and flinging her inside. Then he pulled the piece of the Time Lock out of his pocket and held it over his head.

"Missed again, Daleks!" A maniacal grin spread over his face as he jumped into the TARDIS, his hat flying off his head.

_**"DESTROY THE TARDIS! EXTERMINATE!"**_

__The Doctor watched the doors swing shut, then spun around with a wide grin on his face, which Clara immediately slapped off.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"One, it hurt when you flung me in here!" Clara replied angrily. "And two, DON'T CALL ME OSWIN!"

"Duly noted, but I needed to distinguish between the two of you!" the Doctor said, running to the console as the TARDIS started taking fire. He piloted it off the ground, taking off like a shot.

"Why aren't we leaving?" Clara asked, rubbing her wrist. "We've got what we came for."

"True," the Doctor replied, "but we only have the energy to travel through space, not time. Certainly not across dimensions. Also, I have to make sure those Daleks don't stick around to take over this Earth!" The TARDIS dipped, spun, and dodged Dalek fire as the chase continued. The Doctor eyed the viewscreen, quickly banking a hard left to draw the Dalek ship away from the small town.

"Hey, look!" Clara said. "There's the clock tower!"

"Yes, I'd love to stay and sightsee, but we're a bit busy!" the Doctor snapped, swinging the TARDIS back the way they had come. "We'll have to get them away from here…maybe towards the ravine!" Off they went, the Daleks in hot pursuit.

"Then what?" Clara asked.

"Haven't a clue…uh oh…" The TARDIS was slowing down. It was still dodging fire, but slower, and the shots were getting closer.

"Running low…I've got to put her down!" Clara gulped as the TARDIS landed, not far from the railroad track that Doc Brown had run the train off of a month earlier to send Marty back to 1985. The Dalek ship passed over them, then swung around to face them, hovering over the tracks.

_**"DOCTOR" **_ came the annoyingly familiar mechanical booming. _**"YOUR TARDIS IS NEARLY OUT OF POWER. YOU WILL EXIT IT AND SURRENDER THE TIME LOCK TO THE DALEK EMPIRE. THE TARDIS WILL BE EXTERMINATED IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS WITHIN ONE MINUTE."**_

__"I'm not leaving" Clara said.

"I don't want to, but our options are quite limited!" the Doctor replied. "There must be something…" He ran around the console, flicking switches and pushing buttons.

"Nothing…not enough power." He looked up, seeming defeated. "I don't know what to do, Clara…" He pulled all the pieces of the Time Lock out.

Aboard the scout ship, one Dalek activated the modified program the science division had been working on. The view through Clara's eyes came up in a holographic projection. A quick nudge, and the fingers of her right hand twitched toward the pieces of the Time Lock.

_**"We are making progress" **_ he said.

_Back aboard the TARDIS…_

"Doctor, you can't!" Clara said. "You know you can't!"

"And what choice do I have, Clara?" the Doctor asked. "It's either death or surrender, which will most likely lead to death. Death all around. I wouldn't call this my finest hour." Clara looked despairingly at the Dalek scout ship on the viewscreen.

"There must be something…can you look around?" The Doctor shrugged and adjusted the external sensors. The view on the screen shifted left, then right.

"I wish there was…wait, what is that?" The view swung far to the left. The Doctor and Clara stared…and smiled. The Doctor turned on his external communications.

"All right, we're coming out with the Time Lock. Come and get it." He switched it off, suppressing a small giggle.

"Did I sound defeated enough?" he asked.

"Think so" Clara replied. The pair picked up the pieces of the Time Lock and left the TARDIS. The Dalek scout ship lowered closer to the ground. They stood motionless as a hatch opened.

"Time for a distraction" the Doctor muttered. He spoke louder. "Excuse me? Dalek drones, or whatever you're calling yourselves? Are you sure you don't want to stop for a minute? Preserve the moment for prosperity? After all, you just captured the greatest enemy of your entire race. Seems you'd want to remember this for as long as possible."

_**"Prosperity is irrelevant" **_came the reply. _**"You will surrender the Time Lock. You will be returned to our universe and imprisoned on Skaro. Your companion will rejoin the Dalek Empire."**_

__"That's likely" Clara muttered.

"Nope, afraid you wouldn't want her" the Doctor said. "She's not the Oswin you know…in fact, she's not Oswin at all, but that's irrelevant as well. My point is, you should try and enjoy a little glory. Do something, ANYTHING, that would make you just a little bit different than the rest of the Daleks!"

_**"And why would we do that?"**_

"Because if you did," the Doctor said, raising his voice slightly as a noise grew louder, "you'd have enough individuality to not think like the rest of your kind, and recognize this for the distraction it is!" He grabbed Clara and dove to the ground as Doc Brown's newly repaired, time-traveling steam engine smashed headlong into the Dalek ship, shattering the outer hull and lighting up the Old Western night in a violent explosion. Metal and circuitry flew every which way, along with some rather unpleasant bits of Dalek. The train screeched to a halt a few hundred yards away, backing up slowly as the Doctor and Clara got to their feet.

"Doctor!" Doc Brown said, stepping down from the cab. "Thank goodness Clara revived me in time to see what was happening. I'm so glad you managed to draw them away from Hill Valley!"

"That town's got some big moments coming" the Doctor replied. "Or, they already happened. You know how it is with time travel."

_One time-jumping plot device later…_

The Doctor emerged from the TARDIS with a smile on his face.

"I've managed to put together the parts your train will need" he informed Doc Brown. "And I should be ready to go soon." Doc Brown shook the Doctor's hand vigorously.

"This has been quite an experience, Doctor…I can only thank you for all your help!"

"And I for yours" the Doctor replied. "I'd be dead right now if you weren't such a good engineer. One piece of advice, though." He gestured to Clara. "Get this woman to a church, and soon. Don't let her get away!"

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere, Doctor" Clara replied, slipping an arm around Doc Brown's waist. "Isn't it better if I go time traveling anyway? I'm not supposed to exist right now."

"Clever woman" the Doctor replied with a wink. "Take her advice, Emmett, and have fun!" He walked back into the TARDIS. Doc Brown and Clara watched as it disappeared from their lives for the second time.

On board the TARDIS, Clara (Oswald) was keeping a careful eye on the console.

"Question, Doctor," she said as he walked up to her, "why is it that when we came to this universe, we didn't come directly to this time?"

"When we go from dimension to dimension, we're traveling in space, not time" the Doctor replied. "Everywhere we've been, it's been the same year we left our dimension. It just happens that time may be slower in other universes. I wouldn't like to live in some of them, let me tell you. I deal with enough time as it is. Plus, knowing everything important that's going to happen because it's already happened in a movie or book in our universe? No, thank you."

"But does that mean you gave Doc Brown the piece of the Time Lock before he traveled back to 1885?" Clara asked.

"Actually, I tracked him down. I knew which universe I was going to, and I knew who I wanted to have the piece of the Lock. I arrived not long after he went all kamikaze with the train and sent Marty back to his present. Didn't you think it was odd," he added, "even in the movie, that Doc Brown created a time-traveling, steam-powered locomotive with Old West-era technology? Who's to say there wasn't Time Lord interference all along?"

"And we showed up in the present…"

"Because crossing dimensions and time at once is a massive power drain. Fortunately, I took the artron energy capacitors from the train, which were at full capacity, and adjusted them to power the TARDIS. Thanks go to my brilliant younger self for making it possible."

"Ah yes," Clara said, "there's the humble, modest Doctor I remember so well. So does this mean we're ready to jump universes again?"

"Not only that," the Doctor replied, "but we should be able to get a jump on the Daleks. I'll be quite surprised if they follow us as quickly as before, since they should be having the same energy crisis. Here we go…back to school!" He pushed a button or two and yanked down on the lever.

"School?" Clara asked. "We were already at Hogwarts!"

"No, no, different school. Trust me, you'll like it."

"If you say so." Clara smiled as she watched the Time Rotor start to slide up and down.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no!" She turned in alarm to see the look of anguish on the Doctor's face.

"What?"

"I forgot my hat!"

_**"Replay the recording." **_The Dalek commander watched the recording taken from Clara watching the Doctor make the modifications to his energy capacitors. Clara had been so fascinated, she hadn't realized that she couldn't turn her head or look away.

_**"Modify this process for our own energy batteries"**_ the commander said.

_**"I obey" **_the science officer replied.

_**"Follow him."**_

**A/N: And there's my longest chapter yet. Read and review!**


End file.
